It’s more painless than it may appear to live green. Small changes can sometimes have huge results. You don’t have to wonder how to start – simply find a new use for something you might ordinarily throw away. You can also try reducing the amount of garbage you produce, along with trying to recycle more. Here are a few hints to get you thinking more about living green.

Be sure to keep your furnace in efficient working order, because its running costs are too high. Of all the energy used in a family, heating makes up the bulk, more or less 60%. If you will replace the filter every two months, that will add to the running efficiency.

Reusable filters, which can be washed repeatedly, may in reality be the best option. They long lasting, and, even though they cost more to begin with, should save you money in the long run. Looking after your furnace takes very little time, but could improve its efficiency by an amazing 50%.

Along with having your furnace function more efficiently, have a thermostat that you can program, so you can manage the temperature. There is no reason to be squandering power when no one is at home, or everyone is in bed. This is not very helpful for the environment, and even worse for your bank account. If you have a thermostat that can be set several degrees cooler during the night in the winter months, or warmer in the summer, and also when the house is unoccupied, you will use a lot less energy. When you awaken, or are back home, it can be already programmed to where you would like it.

Hot water heaters also use too much power, but wrapping yours in a fiberglas blanket will help. The fiberglass blanket, which is available from any hardware store, will help hold heat in the heater. This is something you can do all by yourself, with great ease, and the electricity you save will recoup the cost of the blanket within a year.

When your hot-water heater needs to be replaced, you better change to one of the new hot water heaters that are tankless. There is no tank full of water which keeps needing to be heated, and water is heated only as it is wanted. This way the planet is helped since significantly less energy is required, and your added bonus is the savings on your hot water bill.

Living green doesn’t demand an all or nothing approach, and a few or even all of the above tips may look like an imposition to you. Get started with what you can or want to do, but do it now. Consider how much this would help your community, if every person did only one thing. Why not set the example for others to follow, by taking action and doing something. If you found these hints helpful, make sure you pass them on to others.